John Gannon, a 75-year-old Texas businessman and lifelong Republican, expressed deep regret over his vote for President Trump after his fiancée, Yasmin Suarez Reyes, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport in late July 2026.

Gannon said the arrest derailed their plans to marry and travel together to a furniture industry convention in Las Vegas on July 24. He described how after passing through security, his fiancée was detained by plainclothes ICE agents who did not explain the reason for her arrest before taking her away.

Suarez Reyes, 45, was born in Venezuela but holds Spanish citizenship, which typically allows visa-free travel to the U.S. as a tourist or temporary visitor. However, documents indicate she lawfully entered the U.S. on October 24, 2023, and overstayed her admission, which expired on January 19, 2024.

Gannon criticized ICE’s enforcement actions, stating, "Go after the criminals. We're all for that. But leave the mom and pops and the kids alone. Man, he's destroying families." When asked what he would say to President Trump, he replied, "What are you doing?"

Gannon owns over 1,000 billboards across the U.S. and several businesses in Mexico, including a hotel and a restaurant.

Sources

This report is based on an interview conducted by Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Immigration Correspondent at CBS News, and published on August 7, 2026.